Extending Michigan’s State of Emergency is not the same thing as extending the stay-at-home order

LANSING, Mich. – Both Michigan’s State of Emergency and stay-at-home order were originally slated to end Thursday.

The stay-at-home order was extended until May 15 and the State of Emergency was extended through May 28.

READ: Gov. Whitmer extends Michigan State of Emergency through May 28

Extending the emergency declaration is not an extension of the stay-at-home order, though, as these are two separate actions.

VIEW: A timeline of closures, event bans, stay-at-home orders

Whitmer declared a State of Emergency in late February, weeks before coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in Michigan.

This declaration allowed the state to prepare for the virus.

Whitmer, the state director of emergency management and homeland security and other agencies then began directing all state resources to an emergency operations center in Lansing.

An extension of the emergency declaration does not mean the stay-at-home order will automatically last through May. Whitmer will still need to sign a new Executive Order if she chooses to extend that order beyond May 15.